SafariBookings has received complaints from clients about Orongai Africa Safari.

Reviews

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Alex   –  
Australia AU
Visited: October 2019 Reviewed: Jan 29, 2020

Email Alex  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Alex and not that of SafariBookings.
Bait and Switch Scam - AVOID
1/5

We booked a 12 day Luxury+ tour through Kenya and Tanzania with Orongai. Despite Orongai confirming all the lodges were booked and paid for (included a number of the high end luxury AndBeyond lodges), itinerary we were promised was nothing like what we got. After 4 days of the 12 days, we cancelled the trip in the middle of the Masai Mara due to serious safety concerns and made our own arrangements to get home. We have never received a dollar of refund from Orongai despite multiple attempts.

Some key experiences:
- The vehicle provided was an old and unroadworthy 2WD van completely unfit for driving through national parks. Side door did not open from the inside, so you couldn’t get out without being let out from the outside. Driver was not a qualified safari guide, but a Nairobi taxi/van driver.

- We had our accommodations changed last minute or without notice from high-end luxury lodges to cheap tent accommodation. After this, we called ahead to the lodges booked according to our itinerary, and only 3 of the 9 remaining nights had been booked. Orongai was unable to be contacted and dismissed emails requesting the confirmation of bookings. We were stuck in the Masai Mara without knowing where we would be sleeping the following night.

- On the second day, we were forced to leave the lodge at 6am, missed the planned game drive, and had to sit in the unairconditioned van for 8 hours till we arrived at the next lodge. We had to use a pit in a village for a toilet break, which felt far from safe. When we arrived at the lodge, they had no record of our booking and hadn’t heard of Orongai. After an hour of the driver trying to contact Orongai to find out where we were staying, we then had to spend another 3 hours in the van to drive to a grossly inferior tent camp on the other side of the Masai Mara.

- Attempts to contact Orongai to confirm our lodgings and provide booking vouchers were futile. At this point, we discovered from reviews that others who had booked this trip had been held against their will, demanded more money be paid for fuel concessions, park fees etc, extorted, made to miss international flights and been in serious car accidents. Note: we couldn’t get out of the van from the inside!

- We realised at this stage that not only had we been completely scammed on the promised accommodation, activities included and itinerary in general, but we were not safe remaining on the tour, and informed our driver we would not be continuing. He became distressed and seemed petrified of what might happen to him if he did not deliver us to the Tanzanian border the following day. This only reinforced our fears, and we had another lodge come to pick us up as soon as possible.

We have been unable to get any refund from Orongai, and since the trip, I have experienced a large amount of serious fraudulent/scam activity on my email and personal accounts. This may be unrelated to Orongai, but seems more than coincidental.

I am sure if we continued the trip, this review would likely have far more sinister content. Glad we got out safely, despite out of pocket a very large some of money.

Bottom line: AVOID. Book your dream trip with a reputable travel agent.

ESTEBAN CELI   –  
Ecuador EC
Visited: December 2018 Reviewed: Jan 15, 2020

Email ESTEBAN CELI  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of ESTEBAN CELI and not that of SafariBookings.
THIEFS LADRONES TOTALES
1/5

ARE THE REAL THIEFS , SCAMMERS, LIARS AND MORE, BE CAREFULL

Hhhmmm   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Jan 12, 2020

Email Hhhmmm  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Hhhmmm and not that of SafariBookings.
Scam
1/5

We booked with them based on a friend’s recommendation. We booked for 6 days, and we booked a balloon ride. Upon arrival we discussed the planning. However on the balloon trip it was weird they said we had to go to the balloon center when we got in the Serengeti. And make an appointment. Serengeti was day 3. So we visited some parks and upon arrival at the Serengeti it was already weird. We had to wait 2 hours for cash. So we go in the park and ask our driver to go the balloon centers. He confessed that everything was booked months in advance. Okay fine, but then we expect the money back as they didn’t book it. So on our ride back to the airport we would meet the owner. He stalls it, making us wait an hour and almost missing our flight. He didn’t want to pay/didn’t have the money. So we were scammed out 1000 usd. Before flying out of Tanzania I emailed the firm for a compensation. After some pressure from my end they agreed to pay in installments. 4 installments of 250$. The first 2 went fine, the 3rd took 4 months and the last one I am still awaiting. For over 6 months. They said they could not pay the last installment due to cash shortage but that was 6 months ago. Since then they are not replying on emails.

So DO NOT BOOK ANYTHING WITH THIS FIRM. THEY SCAM YOU AND ARE PROBABLY BANKRUPT.

Pia   –  
Germany DE
Visited: July 2019 Reviewed: Aug 27, 2019

Email Pia  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Pia and not that of SafariBookings.
Horrible
1/5

We are so sad about our Safari with this Organisation. Our honeymoon was an desaster. Ann promised a lot, but it was expensive for a holy shit trip. We booked a safari for five days in Kenia and we got three times to go safari. Our driver was drunken vodka on the drive, smoked a lot of cigarettes and fliped it out in the nature of the Nationalparks and filmed the street while he drove our jeep. We had an accident with another driver on the safari in Tansania. After this we wanted to cancel the rest of our safari, but they didn't get money back. Horrible, horrible, horrible...

Herman   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: January 2019 Reviewed: May 22, 2019

Email Herman  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Herman and not that of SafariBookings.
Horrible. They blackmailed me.
1/5

I booked a private safari of 14 days with Orongai for January 2019.
However, 4 days before the start of my trip they send me an email that the cost of fuel had risen since I booked the tour and I had to pay $ 1,400,- extra immediately!
This is crazy. I checked and found out fuel prices had fallen by 10 per cent instead since I booked the trip. Then I realized I was blackmailed.
Later I found out that more people were blackmailed in a similar way. Check the reviews.
I cancelled the tour, but they did not want to return my money.
Only after the safaribookings.com where they promote themselves blocked them, I received most of money back (not everything), but it was a horrible experience. They ruined my holidays.
These guys are criminals.

Andrea   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2019 Reviewed: Mar 29, 2019

Email Andrea  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Andrea and not that of SafariBookings.
Nightmare - Do not use this safari company
1/5

There are many bad reviews of this company. 14% are 1-star on TripAdvisor as of this writing. Please listen to them to save yourself the money, hassle, and discomfort my daughter and I endured, as well as a threat of bank account fraud.

We were picked up at the airport as scheduled, but in an old, broken safari vehicle with broken seat belts and an overall dirty, filthy condition.

We were immediately told we needed to pay an additional $200 per person on top of the $1,750 per person we had already paid. She said the additional $400 would be to stay at a tent camp, not the upscale Serena Hotel we were promised and paid for. THIS IS A DECEPTIVE SCAM. It apparently happened to the last two reviewers as well.

We went to this tent camp, which we were promised was as upscale as the hotel, but it was far from. These accommodations were subpar to what we paid for and what we were promised. This was a true bait-and-switch. We demanded to be taken to the hotel we prepaid for, and the driver refused to take us. Martha didn't answer the phone. The driver said he didn't have the money or reservation for our hotel we were promised and we were again stuck in this very basic tent camp. We felt as though we were being held against our will in the middle of nowhere.

The safari vehicle itself was broken down and in poor condition. Some issues included broken off seatbelts, a broken hood latch so the hood kept bouncing up in our view, the radio didn't work, and the car was unkempt and dirty. It was not comfortable, particularly when we paid for a premium experience.

The only good thing was that we saw a lot of animals. The driver was unprofessional and smelled (poor personal hygiene).

At the end of the trip, we were supposed to go to the airport to depart. We thought we were on the way to the airport, and the driver took us to a gas station. At that point, Martha (from the beginning of the trip) got into our vehicle. The driver took us so slowly to the airport, we felt we were behind held against our will, as Martha accosted us about an email complaint. She threatened to have us arrested.

We eventually made it to the airport and they refused to let us out of the car. They threatened us and yelled at us. Finally, 45 minutes before our international flight time, we were able to get out of the car and rush to our flight.

After returning home, we wrote a negative review here on TripAdvisor. The tour company contacted us and agreed to a $900 refund if we removed this review. They never sent any partial refund. They told us they would only send any partial refund if we gave our bank account routing and account number, which is the last thing anyone should ever do with their bank account. They would not refund to our original payment method or send via Western Union.

This company is fraudulent and made me and my daughter feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Do not go with your family. Do not go with your friends. Do not use this tour operator under any circumstances. Take your money and your business elsewhere. You will have a much better trip for it.

Archibald Haddock   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: February 2019 Reviewed: Mar 21, 2019

Email Archibald Haddock  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Archibald Haddock and not that of SafariBookings.
Don't even think about it
1/5

Short story: cheats, crooks and unprofessional. Avoid this outfit like the plague. They offered us a price of 2150$/pp and three days before the trip they increased it in 650$/pp. Finally we were forced to pay 200$ extra and downgraded us from lodges to mobile tented camps.

Long story… It’s a long review, but I wanted to give all the details. If you are thinking of dealing with this people, I strongly advice you read on.

In December 2018 we got a quote from Orongai for a 7-day safari in northern Tanzania: Ngorongoro, Ndutu and Serengueti, for 8 people, all lodges. From February 16th to 22nd 2019. The price was 2,150 $ per person, total 17,200 $. I will send the quotation to anybody interested. Park fees, All accommodations, all transportation, and all Taxes/VAT were explicitly included. All lodges were mid/upper level: Lake Duluti Lodge, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Ndutu Safari Lodge and Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge.

The price was lower than others we had (first clue) and included a flight back from Serengeti’s airstrip to Arusha the last day, which was the clincher: “Around midmorning join a scheduled flight from Seronera airstrip to Arusha airport.” (sic). So, we agreed to this quotation: 2,150 $ pp.

In January 2018 we all paid a 30% (645 $ pp) by bank transfer. The remainder was to be paid on arrival in cash. The remainder was: 2,150 - 645= 1,505 $ per person, or 12,040 $ total. Two of us decided (stupidly, it turned out) to pay also our part of the remainder beforehand by transfer: 3,010 $ for two people. After this payment the remainder was: 12,040 – 3,010 = 9,030 $, for the other 6 people (who decided to pay their remainder on arrival).

On February 12th I received the following message from Martha, the person in charge of our trip: “just wanted to inform you that there is additional 650$ per person this is due to additional concetion fees at NDUTU area and Ngorongoro area that we’re not there before. We apologize for the inconveniences coursed” (sic).

Cursed indeed! This left us all worried, to put it mildly. It followed a frenzied interchange of emails with the said Martha, trying to understand the extra 650 $ pp, a 30% increase! We checked with TANAPA and other authorities and there had been no increase of any park fees for more than a year. Finally, after many, many messages back and forth Martha wrote to me: “Yes, I received the transfers and the cost is 2150$ per person plus the hotel payments fees 650$ per person. The total is 2,800$ per person” (sic)

We considered not going, but we really wanted to do the safari, we had already paid 645$ each (or 2,150 $ some of us) plus the flights, a dear price for us, and we decided to go (another mistake). We contacted the lodges where we were supposed to stay to confirm the reservation. They confirmed it, but at least one of them called Orongai to tell them we were asking.

On arrival we had a very long and very unpleasant discussion with Martha, a guide called Asseri and another guide Freddy (who, unbeknownst to us, spoke a bit of Spanish, but much less than he thinks). We tried to convince them to honor their original offer, but reasoning with them was impossible. They denied evidence and the most basic logic stone-faced. It was like talking to a wall. They said for instance that the word “Total” next to the 17,200 $ didn’t mean “all the money”. They insisted that the remainder was 12,030 $, and not 9,030 $ as we said, because of the additional charges of 650 $ per person. Which doesn’t even add up! If we had to pay an extra 650$ the remainder would be 14,230$. They further informed us that the flight back from Serengeti to Arusha was not included in the price, even if “All transportation” was explicitly included, because a flight is not “transportation”!

We called the Spanish embassy for advice. They put us in contact with a person in Arusha, who sometimes helped other Spaniards informally. He has more than 20 years of experience in the safari business himself. He was extremely, awfully kind. He tried to convince Orongai’s people for maybe another hour. He couldn’t.

Finally, we decided to take it to the “Tourist Police”, an institution created to deal with cases like this. We went there, a concrete bungalow in the outskirts of Arusha, bare of any official look or sign that I could see, and met with an official, a guy just dressed in jeans and a polo. We spent there another 2 hours, repeating everything to him (Orongai’s people speaking mostly in Swahili even if we repeatedly asked them not to). He initially seemed to lean to our side, but finally, probably tired of the whole thing, told all of us that this was not a criminal dispute and that we had to resolve the thing among ourselves. And left. So much for the Tourist Police. During this, we offered to pay 200 $/person over the agreed 2,150 $. Orongai rejected this.

We went back to the hotel at around 11 pm. We were leaning to cancel the whole thing and leave. Mind you, in the middle of the night, without a car and without a hotel, because the lodge we were in, Lake Duluti Lodge, told us that we would have to pay our rooms ourselves (~ 300 $/room) because Orongai wouldn’t pay if we canceled the safari. At this, Martha threatened us with legally/judicially demanding whole payment (her amount not ours), even if the safari didn’t go ahead, because “it would be our decision to cancel”.

After even more discussion, somebody suggested (I don’t remember who) that if we paid the 9,030 $ we still owed, PLUS the 200 $/person we offered before AND they downgraded us to mobile tented camps, instead of lodges, we could go ahead. Tired of the whole thing, and worried of what a judicial process in Tanzania would entail, we agreed to this. They, then, made us sign a paper saying that these changes were our responsibility because we had not understood the original quotation correctly. Without this condition, they threatened again, the deal was off and they would sue us for full payment. Some of us signed, under duress obviously. So that you understand this downgrade, a mobile tented camp is a far cry from a permanent camp, let alone a lodge. Some permanent tented camps are really luxurious. The mobile tented camps are most definitely NOT luxurious. In some, the showers didn’t even work, and didn’t have enough power even to recharge the batteries/phones if we all tried at the same time.

A very suggestive thing happened at the Tourist Police. Martha, to convince us that 2,150 $/pp was an impossible price, listed in a piece of paper, from memory, the actual cost of each item: car rental, several park fees, lodge fees, food, water, everything. The total came exactly to 17,000 $. This shows that they know the cost of everything by heart, and that the quotation they gave us WAS NOT just a mistake they made, as we thought at some point. This clearly shows that this was a deliberate and, more importantly, practiced scheme to cheat clients. Mine is not the only story like this. Check the comments on Orongai in the web, many of the negative ones are from people with relatively “high level” safaris. The ones that may be amenable to pay extra when confronted with problems. Another suggestive detail is something our friend said. That, at least the Ndutu lodge (there is only the one) was almost certainly full by September already! That by December, when Orongai supposedly made the reservation, it would be utterly im-po-ssi-ble to get four double rooms there for mid-February. Possibly the others too. This makes me suspect that some reservations didn’t exist. Instead, tented camps are easier to get at short notice. I sincerely believe that if we had paid the 650 $ extra, we would have still ended up either in lower-category lodges or in tented camps. Something that has happened to some clients of Orongai.

About the safari itself, one of the guides was nice (Freddy), the other (Asseri) wasn’t at all. He never made any effort to place the car in a good position for the photos and barely spoke at all. Both were a bit risky drivers. Especially Asseri who frequently texted on his phone while driving, took photos or even video putting his full arm outside the window. Some of the seat belts were either broken or "repaired" with a knot. The lunch food was quite poor and always the same, including a piece of chicken so deeply fried as to be mummified. Almost inedible.

All said, what most vexed me, far beyond the extra cost and the downgrade, was that it half-ruined the whole trip. The preparations, the pre-travel excitement (one of the best things), were all erased in a flurry of worry and anger. A lot of the time while we were there talking about it… it all embittered an experience that should have been exhilarating and special. They robed us of that.

Before the travel we contacted TATO (of which Orongai is supposed to be a member); Tanzania Tourism (government office) and TANAPA, asking about our problem. Only TANAPA answered. TATO and Tanz. Tourism didn’t deign. The American Society of Travel Advisors confirmed that Orongai is not a member, contrary to what it says in safaribookings.com

Miguel Medialdea   –  
Spain ES
Visited: February 2019 Reviewed: Mar 18, 2019

Email Miguel Medialdea  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Miguel Medialdea and not that of SafariBookings.
A disappointing experience
1/5

This is in response to the reply from Orongai to a review made by Jose Luis Garcia, in relation to our recent (and disappointing) safari to northern Tanzania under this company.

To accuse unsatisfied clients (who, even dissatisfied, paid for the service and left a substantial tip) of being racist is a vile deed and shows a surprising awkwardness. Orongai does not seem to have heard about Quality Management procedures, a set of work guidelines that are mandatory in the operation of any company providing services or selling products (in Africa, Europe or wherever...), and whose ultimate goal is the achievement of customer satisfaction. I would appreciate to know what is the quality policy of this company, in case it has something slightly similar...

When in a respectable business a complaint is received from a client, the first thing that has to be done is an investigation of the claim´s cause. Then, an internal process is initiated in which corrective and preventive measures are implemented, and finally a convincing explanation (together with a compensation if necessary) is offered to the customer. What is never done is to accuse the client of falsehood or discrimination in his dealings with the company. And this is exactly what Orongai has done with us. Orongai must be able to recognize that, at least, in the agreement he signed with us there was a lack of transparency and an extremely poor information management.

It is not worth commenting on the words that Orongai claims to have heard from some members of our group. They are as false as saying that the ITAKA SAFARIS manager proclaimed himself Ambassador of Spain (amazing observation !!)... It is convenient that the members of Orongai dedicate some time to improve their Spanish skills (and maybe also their English ones...).

Orongai demonstrates an immense arrogance in his dealings with clients, and this is something that can easily be deduced from previous claims to this company which still circulate on internet. The difference is that, while other customers ended up accepting Orongai's last-minute impositions (however unjustified they may be), we demanded an explanation and requested the mediation of an external agent (ITAKA´s manager), simply with the legitimate goal of clarifying the situation. And this point, which is an inalienable right of anyone who pays for a product or service, seemed to infinitely offend Orongai. If I am white and you are black, and I intend to exercise my legitimate rights, does it follows that I am a racist? Orongai should seriously think about it...

Finally, Orongai´s proposal of offering a 15% discount to new clients as a sign of generosity and professionalism, it is nothing more than an outdated and clumsy way of terminating a dispute, and it presupposes the tacit acknowledgment that a customer who placed his trust in Orongai has been unfairly treated.

Other Tanzanian safari operators, as well as national organizations of tour operators and agencies dedicated to tourism and the dissemination of the extraordinary natural values ​​of Tanzania, should take good note of the behavior of Orongai.

Reply from Orongai Africa Safari
Reply from Orongai Africa Safari
Posted on Mar 23, 2019

This reviews should be 8 reviews from this group because you said you will write if we don't give you less amount ON YOUR TOUR (As you promised )
RACISM AND DECLAMATION TOWARDS AFRICAN IS THE MAIN THEME HERE BECAUSE THIS WAS WHEN IT WAS PURELY SHOWN TO US AND PUBLICLY PORTRAYED ,(This campaign wont stop because you know in your heart what you did to us even the Tourist police in Tanzania so this and advised us to write this on our platforms that this was the worst experience their have ever witness of clients who wanted at any cost to take advantage of Africans in the worst way possible

We will not apologize for a mistake that was not there but created by you guys you can write but the you know what you did

1,I would like to inform you guys that the world should know about people like you guys we have seen more than MILLION VISITORS ,but no one has disrespected Africa than you have ,
Africans are afraid to tell the world the truth but we have to let people know its time you stopped discriminating Africans just because you want us to give you guys a cheaper safari on your threats of writing bad reviews on our platforms ,and its evidence now the way all off you are writing this reviews its not fair you are even lying on your own trip instead of 7 days you are talking of 5 days that is not true

1 , you were a group reader but you knew what you were doing first you create a fake ambassador to intimidate us while he is a tour operator
2 .The Police once authorized you to pay because their could not see the reason why you did not want to pay where else the amount was on your invoice ,if the Tourist police was not involved on this maybe you could have said it was not fare
(Do want to say even the system of Tourist police in Tanzania was wrong ?? This means you don't even trust our Police that their can make a fare and just decision )

3,Jose Luise abused one of us and he was talked to police for this and out of our kind heart we forgave him ,and you knew that
4, Its time human write in Africa to advocated for ,You have done exactly what you said that you write bad reviews and you have done that because Martha did not give in to your demands

5, Africans that we should not be intimidated because of someone threatening to write a review on your platform just because their think their are better than you or if their want to pay less .

5
Kindly don't mislead our leaders just because some reviewers in the past have written you want to damage our reputation by this in fact we are going to give all our clients 15% discount on every booking made after this review ,that because we value our clients more than the our profits

6 , Kindly note Africans now their have gone to school so you can not confuse us that we don't understand invoices and it does not mean you can take advantage of the situation because you threatened to write a review if we don't give you a safari for less money ,Kindly i Would request you in the future don't do this inhuman act to anybody even if we are Africans it does not mean you can take advantage of the situation please

We apologize for any convinces caused to you regarding this matter but i think appreciating Your Guide ASSERI AND FREDRICK WHO WERE WITH YOU ON THE MOST AMAZING SAFARI THE COMPANY HAS EVER MADE IS GOOD

We are very happy with this negative reviews because we learn from this reviews and we improve our services remember this one of the most tour operator in Arusha because we don't remove our bad reviews like others do we want our clients to read them and avoid this mistakes in the future we appreciate you and value you this shows we are human and we all


María   –  
Spain ES
Visited: March 2019 Reviewed: Mar 16, 2019

Email María  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of María and not that of SafariBookings.
Worst travel experience of my life due to Martha
1/5

I do not recommend orongai safaris. We booked for a 5-day safari un Tanzania during calving season. We asked to different agencies for prices and orongai offered us the best price for the trip we desired. We closed the final budget in January and we paid for the 30%. One week before the trip they changed the budget and added another 650$ pp. We tried to explain to Martha (that managing director of orongai) they couldn't do that. It was imposible to communicate by mail or phone with her, her messages were inconclusive, full of missenses. We told her we wouldn't pay the extra amount and she just responded: "see you on Saturday please". So we did the biggest miskate, we flew to Tanzania. Once there she insisted on the extra 650$ pp. Arguing with her is totally imposible. The Spanish ambassy put as in contact with Angel (from Itaka safari which I deeply thank) who came to try to help us. The night finished in the tourist police with Martha and angel. We finally had to pay 200$ pp extra and changed from a luxury safari to a midrage. Orongai sent us to tented camps were, some nights, not even the showers worked or we couldn't charge our cameras over night. Even if the safari itself was spectacular, Martha put us through one of the worst days of my life. By the way, Fred was a very nice guide while Asseri wasn't. He never put the Jeep in a good place for pictures, had a poor communication with us and barely told us any interesting things about the place or animals. Please stay away from Orongai, there are plenty of tour operators working much better!

José Luis   –  
Spain ES
Visited: February 2019 Reviewed: Mar 6, 2019

Email José Luis  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of José Luis and not that of SafariBookings.
Beware of Orongai Africa Safaris!!
1/5

...and beware particularly of the Sales Manager Martha and her tricky and confusing invoices. We enquired them in December for a 7-day safari in Ndutu/Serengeti Area for late February during the calving season. They answered immediately with a nice trip and a very appealing price so we finally hired them. The offer included a trip back to Arusha from Seronera by airplane. We were asked to pay a 30% in advanced and we did it. But when arrived to Arusha to start the trip we were asked to pay an extra cost of 650 USD per person (a 30% more!!!). This extra was not included in the total amount written in the invoice. Also, the flight back to Arusha had been changed to optional (the word “optional” never appeared in their offer) and had to be payed apart. They said that as this additional money was for hotel bookings it should not be included in the total cost, which is a ridiculous argument. Shocked we were by the surprise, we refused to pay that extra cost as we believed we had been cheated and then started the discussions. Arguing with Martha is like a toothache. Her head is hard as solid rock and it was impossible to make her understand that any money the client should pay to the operator MUST BE included in the Total amount of the invoice. Her explanation was that since the 650 USD PAX was for hotel bookings that money is not for Orongai!!! Fortunately, we called the Spanish Embassy and they put us in contact with a Spanish Arusha resident tour operator (Special thanks to Angel Pujol of Itaka Safaris) that helped us managing the situation. With his advice and after long and extenuating discussions we finally reached an agreement: we payed 200 USD PAX and they lowered the grade of the lodges. At the end, the Safari was performed under the new conditions although we had to visit some filthy accommodations and eat some uneatable picnic. So, my advice is to hire some other operator (there are many of them) to avoid troubles.

Reply from Orongai Africa Safari
Reply from Orongai Africa Safari
Posted on Mar 16, 2019

Hello JoseLuis
I WOULD LIKE TO START A CAMPING AGAINST RACISM BECAUSE THIS IS PURE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AFRICANS (This clients did not want to pay the whole amount because their threatened us to write a bad review on our platform and called us un civilized monkeys in Spanish without realizing one of us was able to here them
''IS THIS NOT FARE THAT YOU WANT TO BE TAKEN ON A FREE SAFARI JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE ABLE TO WRITE A REVIEW AND DESTROY A COMPANY REPUTATION ON THE INTERNET ""
How can something that is written on the invoice some months before the safari not be correct ,?? how can you expect not to pay 650$ 9 persons and expect the company to pay for you that so unfair to any business ""
THIS IS NOT A REVIEW BUT PURE ,,HATRED TOWARDS AFRICANS JUST BECAUSE WE DID NOT GIVE INN to your DEMANDS

Thank you for your review we always appreciate reviews on our platform ,""You have Quoted beware particularly of the Sales Manager Martha and her tricky and confusing invoices." Kindly note i think Martha is very good in her job and just because you did not want to pay for your safari according to your invoice that why she was not able to let you get away with it ,

1.a million travelers get this invoices and their always pay as per the invoices with no trouble at all their ask questions before payment if their don't understand anything before payment and that how every normal person does ( Be honest you asked this questions before the safari and your tour reader confirmed that the invoice was okay )

2, Why take advantage of not paying 650$ per person 9 persons and expect the company to take you for safari that does not make any sense to anybody
3 ,You tricked the company by calling the guy from ITAKA Safari who was to pretend to be the Ambassador of Spain( (I THINK NO AMBASSADOR OF SPAIN OWNS A SAFARI COMPANY IN AFRICA PLEASE STOP LYING )



only to realize he wanted to take you for the safari and he could not take you because he said and i quote the ''amount is not enough you have to pay 1000$ """"more' and that when you released he cant help you (he was even more expensive than us that your fellow Spanish!!! he was not willing to take you on safari without enough money but pleaded with us to accommodate you in our company can you see that this is funny ,if your safari payment were enough to go on the trip why didn't you go with him he was a tour operator and you hand your money in cash '''////

3 , i think you have missed a point that you were taken to the tourist police where the police clearly indicated that the invoice was very clear and that you should pay the full amount since no one was able to take you to a free safari without paying the rest of the amount ,if the company was found at foult the police could have concluded you go on the safari as per your agreement but again there was nothing wrong with the invoice

4 And kindly note its was you were unable to pay ITAKA SAFARI the amount he demanded to take you for the tour that you came back to the company and the solution was found that you will have to go to the safari according with your budget and the company took you to a safari of a live time see the attached photos and also the agreement you signed at the police station because police so that you were you were trying to con us because our guide Fredrick who was able to speak and also here Spanish assisted and i think you traveled with him and found that he could speak fluent Spanish

5
Kindly don't mislead our leaders just because some reviewers in the past have written you want to damage our reputation by this in fact we are going to give all our clients 15% discount on every booking made after this review ,that because we value our clients more than the our profits

6 , Kindly note Africans now their have gone to school so you can not confuse us that we don't understand invoices and it does not mean you can take advantage of the situation because you threatened to write a review if we don't give you a safari for less money ,Kindly i Would request you in the future don't do this inhuman act to anybody even if we are Africans it does not mean you can take advantage of the situation please

We apologize for any convinces caused to you regarding this matter but i think appreciating Your Guide ASSERI AND FREDRICK WHO WERE WITH YOU ON THE MOST AMAZING SAFARI THE COMPANY HS EVER MADE IS GOOD

We are very happy with this negative reviews because we learn from this reviews and we improve our services remember this one of the most tour operator in Arusha because we don't remove our bad reviews like others do we want our clients to read them and avoid this mistakes in the future we appreciate you and value you this shows we are human and we all bound by laws '''

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